One Of A Kind Museum: National Museum of the US Air Force

If you are traveling through Ohio, particularly across Interstate 70, schedule a stop at the world's largest military aviation museum, The National Museum of the US Air Force. I have made dozens of trips over the years and my kids enjoy visiting and seeing all of the planes. More than 350 airplanes and missiles are displayed in exhibits exploring the beginnings of air travel with the Wright Brothers to World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, Cold War and Space Exploration Gallery. There are also special displays depicting artifacts from the Holocaust and the Bob Hope Tours to entertain the troops. If the weather is nice, a trip outside to see the outdoor Memorial Park and Air Park is a must.

One of the best parts of visiting the museum, is the chance to tour the Presidential Gallery, which houses the Air Force One that was in service for many Presidents, including the plane that escorted the body of John F. Kennedy following his assassination. There are many other Presidential aircraft on display as well. Here's your chance to stand on the steps of Air Force One and give your best presidential wave! This special gallery is accessible by shuttle from the main museum and adults will have to provide an ID in order to travel to that part of the base.

A trip to this museum will take several hours to tour and it is completely FREE to enter. The only charge comes if you wish to view an IMAX film. I highly encourage a stop at this one-of-a-kind museum!
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/visit/index.asp

Christmas Light Extravaganza

Christmas light displays can be so much fun for the whole family to enjoy. What a wonderful time for the family to appreciate Christmas together and make memories for years to come.There are several around the southwestern Ohio area that are great for adults and kids alike.While I have focused on several of these events, you can use the Christmas light finder website to find local displays in your area.  http://www.christmaslightfinder.com/

I really enjoy Woodland Lights. The lighted path, rides, reindeer,carriage rides and visits with Santa add to the Christmas spirit, plus it is reasonably priced.
www.woodlandlights.org

Clifton Mills is another beautiful light display and while a little more expensive, it truly is unique with a dancing light show synchronized to music. They also have a miniature village and Santa museum.
http://www.cliftonmill.com/

Whispering Christmas in Eaton, Ohio is yet another option for Christmas lights and the good news is that it is free. Go to the link below and it should be mentioned as you scroll down to the December events.
http://www.destinationpreble.com/

Of course, there is always the Cincinnati Zoo Festival of Lights. It is a very beautiful display; however, it can also be very crowded, particularly on the weekends. If you can arrive earlier in the afternoon and enjoy the animals while already being in the zoo before it gets dark, your chances of encountering less crowd and stress will be greatly reduced!
www.cincinnatizoo.org





The Christmas Ranch near Cincinnati was featured on Good Morning America and HGTV. Visit the website for more details on all they have to offer.
http://www.thechristmasranch.com/



In Sharonville (near Cincinnati), you can enjoy a drive-thru display at The Holiday In Lights at Sharon Woods. There is also a Santaland where you can venture out of your car and enjoy some Christmas festivities.
http://www.holidayinlights.com/santaland.html

Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park also hosts a beautiful lights display. You will be amazed at the 2 million lights used to make hundreds of light displays.
http://pyramidhill.org/news.php#21

Visit the Home of Dum Dum Pops

If you are traveling through northwest Ohio, make a stop at Spangler Candy Co., home of the Dum Dum pop. They also make candy canes, circus peanuts and Saf -T pops. There is a great tour of the facilities aboard the Dum Dum trolley. The kids as well as adults will enjoy learning about the process of making the candies as you ride around the factory. A small museum houses some unique candy memorabilia. We were able to taste test the new flavors of Dum Dum pops that they were working on and the kids scored lots and lots of free pops. Perhaps a few too many! It was a quaint stop and so interesting to see the home of Dum Dums!  Check times as they vary depending on the time of year.
http://www.spanglercandy.com/about-us/tour-store-museum

Entertrainment Junction: Calling All Train Fans

If you have a train lover in your family, Entertrainment Junction is a must-see attraction to visit in the Cincinnati area. This museum/train extravaganza houses the world's largest indoor train display. Walk through a historical tour represented by lots and lots of miniature trains running along tracks beside, above and all around. Steam locomotives, trolley cars, today's diesel locomotives and subway trains run through the mini towns, cities and countryside of our nation's history. The American Railroad Museum is also housed within the building and explores our country's railroading history with interesting and interactive exhibits. Imagination Junction is a railroad-themed playland for the younger set. My kids could literally spend an hour or two just playing within this area.

During the warmer months, there are some small-scale trains to ride outside and special seasonal activities for Halloween and Christmas are also part of the fun. Whether you live in the area, are coming for a vacation or just passing through, this is a unique, fun and educational place to visit.

http://www.entertrainmentjunction.com/

Magnificent Museums: COSI

COSI (Center of Science and Industry), located in Columbus, Ohio was voted as the #1 science center in the country by Parents magazine. We really like visiting COSI and the kids can always find new things to discover and learn.There is so much to do for all ages that it will take you a good part of the day to get through most of the museum. Some of the main areas of interest include: life/body, space, oceans, gadgets, big science park and historical progress. Several revolving temporary exhibits are also constantly rotating in and out of the museum. A dedicated space (Little Kidspace) for the under 6 crowd will keep the little ones equally as busy. Plus, there are numerous shows throughout the day, a large gift shop (every parent’s curse) and a cafeteria with many food choices.
If you have an ASTC reciprocal museum membership (http://travelingkidsonthego.blogspot.com/2012/09/astc-passport-program.html) , your family can receive free or reduced ticket prices. If you live in the Ohio area, it is definitely a must-see attraction and if you happen to be coming to Ohio or driving through, consider stopping at COSI for some science fun!

www.cosi.org

Wild Waterparks, An Indoor Adventure

Today's post includes some options for indoor water parks, particularly in the Ohio area. Now that the weather is turning cold, why not spend a night or two and enjoy some summertime temps.

My favorite indoor waterpark is actually Great Wolf Lodge, with locations scattered throughout the country. I like the multitude of things for the kids to do and it has always been very clean. Of course, it is going to be more crowded and expensive during the school breaks and weekends, but if you can swing going during an off-week or on a weekday night, it becomes much more affordable. We always try to do a Sunday night-Monday day combination right after the spring break rush and it is fairly deserted. The kids ask to go there all the time and there really is something for all ages. If you sign up for their mailing list you will get savings offers in the regular mail or thru email.
http://www.greatwolf.com/

Another popular destination in our neck of the woods is CoCoKey Resort, which can be found in many places around the country as well.  While smaller than Great Wolf, it is not quite as expensive and day passes are also offered. The only caveat to the day pass being that it could also be more crowded since people would not have to stay overnight at the hotel. They have plenty to do for younger kids and older kids so it is perfect if you have a large age-range in your family.
www.cocokeycincinnati.com

Of course, the granddaddy of all indoor waterparks in Ohio would be Kalahari in Sandusky. There is also one located in the Wisconsin Dells. I know it used to be and might still be the largest indoor waterpark in the country. Beautiful place to stay and lots to keep the kids busy, perhaps even a little more for the more adventurous kids.
http://www.kalahariresorts.com/oh/

Amusement Park Fun: Cedar Point

For the 15th straight year, Cedar Point has now been named the world's best amusement park at the recent Golden Ticket Awards ceremony. I love amusement parks and Cedar Point is definitely a favorite. The park also boasted 4 coasters on the Top 21 steel coasters in the world list as well as winning the bragging rights for best steel coaster in the world with Millennium Force.
If you have never been, it is a terrific park with a beautiful setting on the shores of Lake Erie. In addition to one of the best collections of roller coasters in the world, there are several top notch kids' areas, plenty of family rides, shows and a waterpark. Even though summer is coming to a close, there are still several weekends that Cedar Point will be open with their HalloWeekend celebrations.
http://www.cedarpoint.com/

Destination Activity List- Part II

Great places to visit continued..............
Here is the link for the activity list, part I
http://travelingkidsonthego.blogspot.com/2012/08/destination-activity-list-part-1.html.

Fun Places to Take the Kids in Southwest/Central Ohio
Free
$- under $8 per person
$$- $8-15 per person
$$$- over $15 per person


31. Cincinnati Museum Center- Cincinnati $$
32. Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum- Wapakoneta   $
33. Englewood Centennial Park Sprayground-  Free
34.Possum Creek MetroPark- Dayton  Free
35.Lebanon Railroad-  $$-$$$
36. Strickers Grove- $$
37. Entertrainment Junction- West Chester  $$
38. B&B Riverboat- Cincinnati  $$
39. Ride the Ducks Cincinnati  $$
40.Cincinnati Art Museum- Free
41.The Wright Cycle Company Complex-National Aviation Trail- Free
42.Kettering Rec Center Adventure Reef Pool Complex
43. Reds. Game- Cincinnati  $$-$$$
44. Dayton Dragons Game- $$
45. County Fairs
46. COSI- Columbus   $$
47. Garst Museum- Greenville  $
48. Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park- Hamilton $
49.Ohio Caverns- West Liberty  $$
50.Newport Aquarium- Newport, KY  $$-$$$
51.Jumpys- Troy  $
52. Stillwater Prairie-Miami Co. Parks- Covington  Free
53. Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum- Dayton  Free
54.Bonnybrook Farms-Chuck Wagon Dinner Rides Near Lebanon  $$$
55. Crohns Conservatory- Cincinnati  Free
56. Miami County Bikeway/Walking Path- Free
57. Freshwater Farms- Urbana  $
58. Great Wolf Lodge- Mason  $$$
59. CoCo Key Waterpark- Cincinnati  $$$
60. Historic Bears Mill- Arcanum Free
61. Fort Ancient- near Lebanon
62. Ozone Zipline Adventures- Lebanon  $$$
63. LaComedia- Springboro  $$$
64. Carew Tower- Cincinnati  $
65. Woodland Mound Park-Parky’s Wetland Adventure- Cincinnati  $
66. Columbus Zoo- $$
67. Loveland Castle-Cincinnati  $
68. Jungle Jims- Cincinnati
69. Scene 75-$$$
70. Aullwood Metropark- Free

Zoo Highlights: The Columbus Zoo

I love visiting zoos. Most zoos these days are very well laid out with natural surroundings and top notch care for the animals. An afternoon at the zoo can be such a wonderful learning experience for kids. I wanted to highlight some of the zoos I have enjoyed visiting, starting with The Columbus Zoo.

The Columbus Zoo is one of the largest zoos in the country boasting eight distinct sections, divided according to world regions. The zoo was under the direction of famed zookeeper, Jack Hanna for many years and he continues to serve as Director Emeritus. A few of my favorite exhibits are the arctic/polar bear enclave, manatee landing and the gorilla habitat. In addition to the animals, the Columbus Zoo also has its own waterpark, Zoombezi Bay, and a small amusement park, Jungle Jack's Landing. There are several themed rides inside the zoo itself, including a train ride, boat ride and carousel along with some large outdoor playspaces for the little ones.
Plan to spend a good part of your day exploring this zoo and remember to check for reciprocal membership with other zoos!
http://www.colszoo.org/

Destination Activity List- Part 1

I have been compiling places to go in the southwest and central Ohio region that would be fun and educational destinations to take your kids. Here is the first part of the list. I have tried to give an estimate of the cost of each place. I hope this is helpful for your family.

Fun Places to Take the Kids in Southwest/Central Ohio
Free
$- under $8 per person
$$- $8-15 per person
$$$- over $15 per person


1.Carriage Hill Metropark- Huber Heights  Free
2.Wegerzyn Metropark- Dayton  Free
3. Aullwood Nature Center- Dayton   $
4. Aullwood Farm- Dayton  $
4. Brukner Nature Center-Troy  $
5.Charleston Falls- Tipp City  Free
6. Vandalia Rec Center Pool- Vandalia  $
7. Troy Pool- Troy  $
8. Tipp City Pool- Tipp City  $
9. Youngs Jersey Dairy- Yellow Springs   $
10.Johnson Farm- Piqua  $
11.Idle Hour Ranch- Troy  $$
12.Heaven’s Corner- West Alexandria  $$
13.Air Force Museum- Dayton  Free
14. John Bryan State Park- Yellow Springs  Free
15.Boonshoft Museum- Dayton  $
16. Dayton Art Institute- Dayton   $
17. Carillon Park- Dayton  $
18.Sunwatch Indian Village- Dayton  $
19.Cox Arboretum- Centerville  Free
20.Rave Movies- Beavercreek   Free on certain days/times
21. Cinemark Movies Piqua-  $
22.Area Library Reading Clubs
23.Kids Bowl Free Centers
24.Cincinnati Zoo- $$
25. Kings Island- $$$
26. Coney Island/Sunlite Pool- $$$
27. Glenwood Gardens/Highland Discovery Garden- Cincinnati   $
28. Sharon Woods/Heritage Village- Sharonville   $
29. Parky’s Farm/Parky’s Ark- Cincinnati   $
30. Huber Heights Aquatic Center-  $

One-Night Trips with Kids (minibook)

A one-night trip can be just what you need for a little relaxation without going too far from home or breaking the bank for an elaborate vacation. Living in the Midwest, we are very fortunate to have many great tourist areas within an easy driving distance.
I created the One-Night Trips with Kids ebook to offer some fun, family options for a quick mini-vacation. There are 6 one-night trips included in this ebook and I am currently working on a longer version with about 25-30 one-night trips. Stay tuned!

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/209743